Short Stories, Tall Tales and the Way They Wore Them

16 July 2008 - 23 August 2008

'Short Stories, Tall Tales, and the Way They Wore Them' is a group exhibition at Arts Project Australia, to be opened by Rose Chong, on Tuesday the 15th of July 2008. The exhibiting artists explore narrative through the figure and costume in art.

All the works subtly segue between fact and fiction; the short story and the tall tale. The figure is turned to, and dressed, in a way that moves us from reading the work as an individual portrait about a particular sitter. Instead, these figures come to symbolize, like characters in a story, something universal; expressing ideas and broaching themes much broader then themselves.

Our ability to tell stories is manifold. Whether it is through an oral, written, musical, theatrical or visual tradition, fundamentally the desire to tell a good tale is paramount. How our stories become embodied, even in our dress, is testament to the powerful want we each have to creatively communicate narrative. From the Tribesman who wears the furs, feathers, and teeth of his kill, to the Scotsman that tells the story of his kith and kin in the tartan patterning he wears, and even in the tops and tales donned by the debonair man about town.

Thematically the exhibition has been arranged into three genres recognizing a commonality of tales amongst a myriad of stories. In the collection of works we find characters mythologized and solitary on The Frontier, regalia and gentility dominate amongst The Aristocrats and Belles and Balls showcases men and women of sophistication and glamour.

Across all three genres we are invited to see the artworks in a contextual framework that is visually rich and promotes the possibility of exploring new narratives between the works.

Our visual engagement with these stories reflects the power of each artwork to move beyond the descriptive into a story that draws us in and holds us.

Opened by Rose Chong of Rose Chong Costumes.